Kansas Track and Field Kicks Off 2009-10 Season at Home

Dec. 3, 2009

Meet Notes

Complete Heat Sheets

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas Track and Field will kick off its 2009-10 season with the Bob Timmons Challenge in Anschutz Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 5. This event marks the first time in over 20 years the Jayhawks have opened the indoor season with a home meet. The Bob Timmons Challenge will feature over 500 athletes from several different universities and club teams, as well as individual competitors.

“We normally travel for our early-season indoor meet,” said Kansas Head Coach Stanley Redwine. “But we wanted to have more opportunities available for our fans and athletes, so we are going to host more than just one indoor meet this year. The Bob Timmons Challenge will be a great event for us to start the season.”

Not only does the KU track and field program return several outstanding athletes for the 2009-10 campaign, including two-time indoor All-American pole vaulter Jordan Scott and cross country national qualifier Lauren Bonds, but it has also added one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, and quite possibly the best, in Coach Redwine’s 10 years at the University of Kansas.

Headlining the list is freshman Mason Finley, a discus and shot put thrower out of Buena Vista, Colo. Finley is the national high school record holder and the U.S.A. Juniors record holder in the discus, and recently captured two gold medals at the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships in the shot put and discus. He will make his Kansas debut this weekend in the men’s shot put, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Joining Finley this weekend in the throws arena is sophomore Brian Bishop, who is the top returning shot put and discus thrower for KU. The Central, Ill., native will face a unique task this weekend, as he competing against his brother, Ben, in the shot put event. Ben Bishop is a sophomore at the University of Illinois – Edwardsville.

Keith Hayes and Keron Toussaint represent two other returning athletes who are expected to have a major impact on Saturday and throughout the rest of the season. Hayes was an indoor national qualifier in the 60 meter hurdles a year ago, while Toussaint is the top returning KU athlete in the 400-meter and 600-yard events.

On the women’s side, highly acclaimed recruits Rebecca Neville and Andrea Geubelle are slated to compete in several events on Saturday. Neville came to Kansas ranked second in the nation by Track and Field News for heptathletes. She also competed at the Pan American Junior Championships this summer, where she finished sixth overall in the heptathalon, which included four top-five performances. Neville will participate this weekend in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, shot put and long jump.

Geubelle, the 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals Champion in the long jump and triple jump, will compete at 1:30 p.m. in the women’s long jump.

In addition to these standout freshmen, the Jayhawks are excited about the season debut for returning pole vaulter Julia Cummings, high jumper Kelsey Erb and middle distance runner Shayla Wilson.

“Our athletes have been training hard all Fall,” said Redwine. “This meet gives them an opportunity to really compete and see where everybody stands early in the season.”

The Bob Timmons Challenge begins at 9:00 a.m. CST with the field events, followed by the track events, which will get underway at 10:30 a.m. For a complete meet schedule, visit the track and field page of the KU Athletics website (www.kuathletics.com).